Earth-16
by Stand with Ward and Queen
Summary: On Earth-16, an altered Earth-1, Barry Allen works with Detective Ralph Dibny to stop Leonard Snart from taking control of Central City's criminal underworld.
1. A victim

**This is a story that was inspired by many conversations with Philippe 363, as well as some of his recent Flash stories. For more on that, wait until the end of the chapter. This won't be a long story, likely only one or two more chapters. **

Welcome to Earth-16. It's an earth almost identical to Earth-1, near identical history with one difference: Joe West had actually looked for his wife when she ran and taken his daughter with him. The West family eventually settled in Keystone City, far from the chaos that Central City seemed to bring.

This had a lot of ripple effects on the citizens of Central City, particularly one Barry Allen.

Central City Police Department

Morning

"Alright, so explain this to me again?" Detective Ralph Dibny said as he took a sip from his coffee, sitting across from the department's head CSI.

"The victim was killed from third degree frostbite, the kind you'd only get from being exposed to forty below," Barry said as Ralph looked at him puzzled.

"It's summer, nights don't drop to sixty," Ralph said and Barry nodded.

"Which is what makes this so strange," Barry said and it was silent between them.

"Think your contact can help us out?" Ralph asked and Barry shrugged.

"I'm heading over to Star Labs later, so we'll see," Barry said and Ralph nodded.

Later, Barry walked into the morgue where the ME was going over some reports.

"Hey," Barry said, startling her.

"Barry, you startled me," Caitlin Snow said as she put a hand on her racing heart.

"Sorry," Barry said with an apologetic smile. "Was I interrupting?"

"No, I was just going over some reports. So, what's up? You usually don't visit me down here," Caitlin noted.

"What, I can't come visit my favorite ME?" Barry joked and she shot him a look. "Okay, so I was wondering if you had anything more on what happened to the victim."

"Nothing more than the last time you asked, his name was Hartley Rathaway and, for all intents and purposes, he just dropped dead of frostbite for no reason," Caitlin explained and Barry frowned.

"That shouldn't be possible," Barry said, scratching his brain for answers.

"I think we threw out impossible when the accelerator blew up," Caitlin pointed out and Barry nodded with a grimace.

About two years ago, Star Labs had turned on their Particle Accelerator, which had worked perfectly…at first. Then, it had exploded, sending a wave of dark matter through the city. The wave had given certain people powers; people the citizens of Central City had dubbed 'Metahumans'.

"So you think this is a Meta?" Barry asked and Caitlin shrugged.

"I can't see another explanation, can you?" Caitlin asked.

"No," Barry admitted. "But I'm gonna stop by Star Labs anyway, see if I can find out anything."

"So are we still on for tonight?" Caitlin asked and he smiled.

"Wouldn't miss it," Barry promised before, after making sure there was no one around, pulled her in for a kiss.

Star Labs

Afternoon

Cisco Ramon was hard at work in his lab when someone else walked up behind him.

"Do you ever stop trying to change the world?" Barry asked and Cisco grinned.

"Do you?" Cisco asked and Barry shrugged.

"Fair point little brother," Barry acknowledged.

When Barry was eleven, his mother had been murdered. Someone had broken into the house in the middle of the night, shots were fired and his mom had taken a few rounds to the chest. His father had called 911 but by the time they arrived, she had already passed away. In his grief, his father turned to alcohol and had been deemed unfit by child services. Barry had been placed in foster care, bouncing around for a few months before being placed with the Ramons. The oldest, Dante, was a bit of a dick but he was alright deep down. The parents treated him more like a guest than anything, which is what Barry preferred to be honest. But he and Cisco had bonded quickly and, seeing how happy their youngest son was to have a friend in the house, his parents had decided to let Barry stay, so long as there were no real issues. They'd paid his bills, they'd put him through school, even paid his college tuition. And even though he didn't keep touch with the rest of the family aside from the occasional phone call and Christmas card, he and Cisco were still close.

"So, is this a social call? Did we have lunch planned that I forgot?" Cisco asked and Barry shook his head.

"No, it's business," Barry said and Cisco raised an eyebrow. "A body was discovered this morning; the victim was killed from third degree frostbite."

"It's summer though," Cisco said confused and Barry nodded.

"Which is why Detective Dibny and I were so surprised. I was thinking a Meta, but is there anything going on in Star Labs that might explain it?" Barry asked and saw Cisco look thoughtful. "I know that look Cisco. What are you thinking?"

"The victim, is it Hartley Rathaway?" Cisco asked, taking Barry back.

"How'd you know that?" Barry asked as Cisco sighed.

"I was afraid of that. A few weeks ago, Rathaway and another scientist were working on a new invention, something that could simulate cold, like tundra cold. But Rathaway realized that the other guy was planning on turning it into a weapon, so he reported it to Dr. Wells and the guy was fired. This morning, Rathaway didn't turn up for work," Cisco explained and Barry nodded.

"And you think the other guy is the one who did it?" Barry asked and Cisco shrugged.

"I don't know. But the device went missing a few days ago, and he has a criminal history from when he was a kid," Cisco explained and Barry nodded.

"What's the guy's name?" Barry asked as he crossed is arms.

"Leonard Snart," Cisco said.

"Well, Snart just became the number one suspect," Barry said as he turned to leave.

"Barry," Cisco called out and Barry paused. "Just…remember, speed and cold are opposites."

"I'll be fine Cisco," Barry assured him before walking out, leaving Cisco staring after him worriedly.

**One thing that has annoyed me about the recent seasons of Flash is that they keep nerfing and dumbing Barry down in order to justify the forced importance of Iris and the ever expanding roster of Team Flash. In the comics, Barry never had this huge team, no Flash has. The Flash, whatever version, has usually been a solo hero with the occasional sidekick like Kid Flash or Impulse. **

**Barry was shown to be intelligent in the early seasons, but that seems to have waned as seasons have gone on in order to make it seem like he needs this huge team. So I wanted to do a story where I got rid of the team all together, where Caitlin was an ME and Cisco was basically Barry's Lucius Fox. Joe was originally in Ralph's role but I decided if I was getting rid of Iris, I might as well get rid of Joe as well.**


	2. Stopping Snart

**I apologize for taking so long to get this next chapter up, around the time I started this I decided to take a break from writing Barry/Caitlin because it was getting boring. I'm starting to get back into it, so my other SnowBarry stories should be updated at some point within the next few weeks.**

**This will also be the final chapter. Originally, I thought this would be stretched out for a few more chapters, but circumstances dictated that it would end here. I hope you guys enjoy it.**

**Ellie Bishop: Honestly, I didn't even think of Crisis when I picked the earth. But I've also repressed most of Crisis.**

**Green Hal37: Barry's relationship with Henry on this earth would likely mirror that of Laurel and Quentin's relationship in the first season of Arrow, strained but at the same time they love each other. I've been done since the end of season five. Nora's betrayal and Barry getting hated for not trusting her after it was just the last straw. **

**Guest: the majority of the time, the Flash has been a mostly solo hero with usually sidekick here and there. **

_Barry's crime lab_

_The night of the Particle Accelerator explosion_

"_Barry? You in here?" Cisco called out as he entered his former foster brother's lab._

_Barry did not answer, as he was currently working on an experiment, mixing some chemicals. As he turned on a Bunsen burner, he heard the roar of thunder in the background. Suddenly, a huge lightning bolt struck the top of the building, sending a charge through the whole building. The liquid in the beaker Barry had been mixing suddenly shattered as he was zapped with over a million volts of electricity. Barry was thrown back, hitting his head on the wall. Vaguely, Barry heard Cisco rush in, but he could only stare at his hands, which were vibrating at an impossibly fast speed. _

Central City, Now

Afternoon

Barry was in the passenger seat of the police cruiser Ralph was driving as they pulled up to Mercy Labs. Ralph and Barry got out of the police cruiser and walked towards the building, seeing officers already canvassing the area.

"Dibny, Allen," Captain Singh called them over as he spotted them.

"What's going on Captain?" Ralph asked as they made their way over.

"According to the witnesses, a group of men broke in and grabbed about a dozen power cells that Mercury Labs was working on, top of the line, they could power an entire house for a month without being turned off. The leader had some sort gun that can shoot ice," Singh explained and Barry and Ralph exchanged a glance.

"Snart," Barry said and Ralph nodded.

"Question is, what does he want with those power cells?" Ralph wondered.

City Hall

Same time

The Mayor was in his office, doing some paperwork when the sounds of gunshots and screams made his head whip up in alarm. Within seconds, the door burst open and Leonard Snart, wielding a strange looking gun, smirked as he walked in.

"Evening Mr. Mayor. I'd suggest you come with before thinking get…cold," Snart said as he took aim at the coat rack in the corner.

The Mayor jumped as Snart fired, freezing the coat rack, to his shock.

"So, what's it gonna be?" Snart asked with a smirk.

Outside Mercury Labs

Not long after

"What?!" Singh exclaimed, causing Barry and Ralph to look over at him in alarm. "Alright, put out a BOLO on Snart but tell them he's to be considered armed and extremely dangerous."

"What's going on Captain?" Barry asked as Singh hung up angrily.

"Snart and his crew just attacked City Hall and abducted the mayor," Singh said grimly, to their shock. "Looks like your contact was right Allen. Whatever he's up to, he's not wasting any time."

Star Labs

Later

Cisco was in his lab, doing some work when his papers suddenly flew up as Barry sped in, blowing over several of Cisco's papers.

"Barry, what the frak!?" Cisco exclaimed in shock.

"Snart and his crew just kidnapped the mayor," Barry said in a rush and Cisco stopped, shocked. "He also stole a bunch of power cells from Mercury Labs, whatever he's planning is big. I need to know, was there any place he might have mentioned that meant something special, please Cisco, I need you to think!"

"There was this warehouse downtown," Cisco said after a moment. "He said he and his friends use to hang out there when they were teenagers."

"Cisco, what warehouse?" Barry asked lowly.

Warehouse district

Late afternoon

"Apologies Mr. Mayor," Snart said as he had the mayor tied up to a work bench, Snart's Cold Gun aimed at his head.

"Please, don't kill me!" the mayor pleaded and Snart smiled nastily.

"Why would I kill the biggest score we have?" Snart asked as he knelt down in front of the mayor. "You know how much money we'll get for your ransom? Of course, it won't mean much with the bomb I made with the power cells I got from Mercury Labs. I get my money, the cops head to where I told them I stashed you and then boom, I take out the mayor and the cops sent to save him. I'll be a legend in this town."

"I wouldn't count on it."

Snart whirled around to see The Flash there, a few feet away.

"I need to hire better security," Snart muttered as his men took aim at Flash.

"Those five guys outside? Yeah, they're taking a nap," Flash said and Snart smiled nastily.

"Brave of you coming in here all by yourself," Snart said as he took aim at Flash. "Especially when you're all alone."

"Numbers don't mean anything when you're as fast as me," Flash said simply.

Suddenly, there was a breeze of wind and then all of Snart's men fell to the ground, out cold.

"Give up and we don't have to do this. It's over Snart," Flash said.

"It's over when I say it's over Flash!" Snart sneered before he fired.

Flash dodged the icy blue beam, rushing at high speed. Snart wildly used his Cold Gun, trying to catch the Flash to no avail. Then, something struck him from behind and he fell forward, losing his grip on the Cold Gun. Flash then struck him in the back of the head with the butt of a rifle and Snart was knocked out.

"Well, that takes care of him," Flash said, tossing the gun to the floor and walking over to the mayor. "Are you alright Mr. Mayor?"

"Yes, thank you Flash," the mayor said in relief as Flash untied him before they heard sirens from outside.

"Well, hate to save and run, but I think they can handle this from here," Flash said, grabbing the Cold Gun.

Flash then sped out moments before the door opened. Ralph and several other cops burst in and paused upon seeing the scene.

Star Labs

Night

"And so Leonard Snart and his crew were arrested by Detective Ralph Dibny, but Dibny and the mayor have both credited Snart's capture to the hero known as The Flash," a news reporter said as Barry and Cisco watched this from Cisco's lab.

"Well, your job never stops, does it?" Cisco joked and Barry chuckled.

"So, what are you gonna do with the gun?" Barry inquired.

'I already took a hammer to it. That gun is too much power if it falls into the wrong hands," Cisco said and Barry nodded in understanding.

"Smart choice," Barry said as he grabbed his jacket.

"So, you wanna head into town for a few beers?" Cisco asked but Barry shook his head.

"I actually already have plans," Barry said and Cisco smiled mischievously.

"Would those plans happen to include that cute ME you work with?" Cisco said teasingly and Barry's response was to smile sheepishly. "I knew it!"

"We're taking it slow, not to mention it's frowned upon to date coworkers," Barry said as he put on his jacket.

"Well, maybe you'll finally introduce me at some point," Cisco said mockingly and Barry chuckled at Cisco's antics.

"I'll see you later Cisco," Barry said, waving at his former foster brother before walking out.

"Do me proud!" Cisco called out and Barry laughed.

Central City

Later

Caitlin stood outside the restaurant, waiting for her date when Barry ran up to her.

"Hey, I know I'm late, again," Barry started but she just laughed.

"Barry, it's okay. I work at the CCPD to, I know it can be long hours," Caitlin said with a smile. "Just as long as you don't stand me up, at which point I will kill you."

"No one in their right mind would stand you up," Barry promised and she smiled as he offered her his hand. "Shall we?"

"We shall," Caitlin said happily as she took his hand and they entered the restaurant.

**Originally, the chapter was longer with a longer fight scene, but I realized that Barry in the show is nerfed to fight Snart, as he can easily sneak up behind Snart or just take the gun. So that cut down the chapter size.**

**I hope you guys enjoyed this.**


End file.
